This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 4th September 2021

It's been a mixed bag here in Melbourne.  We've had a few warm days of 26 degrees which was wonderful and great gardening weather.  We've also had cold days and lots of rain which has been  good for the garden. 

Our lockdowns have been extended until late September with a possibility of October.  I don't mind the lockdowns but I'd really like to get my hair colored.  I know,  first world problems.  It's my only luxury  Darren is getting desperate for warm weather clothes.  He's lost a lot of weight this year and pretty much nothing fits.  Our grandson Luka is growing out of his clothes and Megan is having to buy everything online instead of shopping at the op shops first.

At least the lockdowns are giving us extra time to grow more food,  makeover our front yard and do small maintenance jobs around our home.

Here's what we've been up to this week -

*  Went to the supermarket to buy mushrooms for a slow cooker meal.  The ticket said $3 for 500g.  I was charged $6 at the checkout.  Thankfully I noticed the mistake and went to the service desk to have the difference refunded.  They refunded the whole amount.  Such a blessing.

*  Megan found heavily reduced beef steaks in the supermarket.  They were just under $4 each for a large steak with a saving of $18.  She dropped one of on our front door step.  From that one steak I made two casseroles that gave us 13 serves in total.  I made Massaman Beef and Beef Stroganoff.  I cooked them in my slow cookers and all leftovers were frozen.  Cook once,  eat three times is fantastic.

*  Planted the Dutch Cream potatoes I bought last week.

*  I had a catering order for spag bol sauce for a cleaning client.

*  Dried the washing on the line and clothes horses.  

*  I was able to work one day this week.  One of my clients organised a work permit for me ( our current lockdown requirement ).  Their home was getting a bit dirty and they had gone to their farm for the weekend so I was able to clean with no one in the house.

*  Picked the last of the lemons off the tree.

*  Fed kale and broccoli leaves to the chickens.

*  Turned standby lights off when appliance were not in use.  I also went around the house each night turning the landline phone chargers off and the doorbell.

*  Made hamburger patties in bulk to freeze.  We had hamburgers for dinner one night to satisfy a slight takeaway craving.  We are only human.

*  Saved water as per usual.

*  Lockdown saved us money by eating at home for our wedding anniversary on Thursday.  I cooked lamb shanks in the slow cooker with a tomato and veggie  sauce / gravy.  They were served over a bed of potato mash.  The dinner cost $11 plus our bottle of Appletiser ( sparkling apple juice ).

Casseroles in the slow cooker

Lamb shank anniversary dinner

Hamburgers at home

How do you satisfy takeaway cravings without spending extra money ?

How did you save money this week ?

Furniture Makeovers - My Very First Attempt

 Earlier this year I purchased a timber chest of drawers on Marketplace for $40.  When Darren arrived home with the drawers,  I was quite surprised to find the drawers have metal runners which is a bonus.  There was a lose handle,  a little water damage on top and some sticker residue that needed removing.  Other than that,  the drawers were in pretty good condition.  I just didn't like the color.

Over the last 3 or 4 weeks I've spent many hours working on the drawers.  I've learnt to use an electric sander,  filled in little nicks and scratches and painted 2 undercoats and 3 top coats ( 4 in some places ).

Darren helped me with attaching the new handles.  I'd bought these from Bunnings before our previous lockdown.

Just as I was nearing the finish line with the drawers,  a certain little grandson thought it would be a good idea to paint his Mum's bedside table with nail polish.  Megan can't paint furniture with two little toddlers on the go so she gave the bedside table to me to restore for our use.

Late last week I finished painting both pieces and I must say,  I love the new look.  We now have beautiful furniture for our spare room.

Drawers in original condition.

Just finished sanding

The finished product

The new handles

The bedside table Megan gave us to restore

The paint I used.

Have you restored / upcycled old furniture ?

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 28th August 2021

 We've tried to keep busy each day as lockdown continues.  We've now spent 210 days in lockdown since March last year.  Thankfully Darren and I love being at home but it sure would be nice to go for a drive somewhere.

Unfortunately we had to cancel another big holiday we were due to go on this week.  It was meant to be a replacement holiday for the cancelled Cook Island holiday for our 25th wedding anniversary from last year.  It's getting really hard to plan anything at the moment.  Oh well,  the world will have a big grand reopening sometime and we'll enjoy it even more.

Here's what we got up to this week - 

*  Planted more potatoes from our pantry that were sprouting.  I also planted lettuce seeds and over 50 dwarf bean seeds.  I'm outside every day checking to see if any have broken through the soil.  Any day now.

*  Sewed and sold a few face masks as requested by Facebook readers.

*  Made 2 pots of soup.  One was made from chicken stock I'd frozen earlier this year.  The other pot of soup was made from pumpkin given to us and a cauliflower from our garden.  I added a couple of potatoes and soup mix and it made a delicious soup.  I've frozen a few serves to eat on cold days.

*  Baked four loaves of wholemeal bread with extra goodness.

*  Picked cauliflower,  silverbeet and spinach from the garden.

*  Sold another bundle of handmade men's greeting cards.

*  Sanded a couple of timber chopping boards.  They were starting to get a little rough so a sanding was needed.  I rubbed them with vegetable oil to finish off.  They look like new again.

*  Saved the washing machine rinse water and shower warm up water.  All of it was poured back into the washing machine.

*  Darren attached a new chicken feeder to the chicken coop.  It's been working well and it looks like the native birds are not eating the feed.  A big saving for us.

*  Bought a 1 kilo bag of seed potatoes from Aldi for $7.99.  This is $2 cheaper than other places we've seen them.  I don't usually buy seed potatoes after not having much success with them.  These ones are Dutch Cream ( our favourite ).  If we don't get a good harvest from them then we'll stick to planting potatoes from my pantry.

*  Turned the heater down just a little on the milder days.

*  Restored two pieces of furniture.  I'll have a big reveal next week.

*  Darren baked biscuits using dough from the freezer.  He also baked some gluten free cup cakes for a friend.

My chicken shaped chopping board.

Face mask order for kiddies

Seed potattoes

Plum tree blossoms.

How have you saved money this week ?

Have you had success planting seed potatoes ?

  

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 21st August 2021

 Darren and I have enjoyed plenty of time out in our garden this week.  The weather has been mild some days so we tried to make the most of it and plan / plant for Spring / Summer harvest. Due to the tighter lockdown restrictions I am unable to work for at least the next two weeks.    Thankfully I have plenty of projects on the go around our home to keep me busy.

Here's what we've been up to this week -

*  Saved a few Penstemon seeds from our garden.  I think I was a little late in collecting them so I've cut off a few almost dry seed heads and put them in a paper bag to collect more.

*  Baked lots of ANZAC biscuits using dough from the freezer.

*  Dried all the washing on the line or clothes horses.

*  Juiced more lemons and froze the juice.

*  Made up a bottle of surface spray,  shower cleaner and toilet cleaner using various ratios of diluted kitchen detergent and water.

*  Wrote out a menu plan for the next 6 weeks.  I was on a roll and kept on planning.

*  Baked choc,  choc chip muffins for a family in need and froze some for ourselves.

*  Gratefully received some food blessings from friends and a family member.

*  Planted Aster and Alyssum flower seeds.  These will fill in a few gaps in our garden.

*  Added 7 premade meals to the freezer.  I'm really enjoying the 'cook once,  eat three times ' approach to meal preparation.

*  Replanted 20 new strawberry plants I grew as runners last season.  Strawberry plants generally produce fruit for 2 - 3 years and should be replaced accordingly.  This is why I encouraged runners at the end of last Summer.  

*  Planted 4 more sprouting potatoes I found in my pantry.

*  Darren fed the compost bins with lawn clippings and kitchen scraps.

*  Planted lettuce seeds and spaced out a few silverbeet seedlings.

Sprouting potatoes from the pantry.

Our potato plants are looking healthy

Lettuce in abundance

Silverbeet seedlings

New strawberry plants.

Here is my monthly grocery shop so far.  I'll be buying milk and a few veggies weekly for the next 3 weeks.  So far I've spent just under $60.  Please keep in mind we are picking greens from our garden,  have corn cobs and broccoli frozen from last summer as well as a few packets of green beans in the freezer.

We have a good amount of beef mince,  fish,  silverside and sausages in the freezer as well as lots of precooked meals.

Our pantry and bathroom cupboards are fairly well stocked so the groceries I bought are to replace what we used recently.

Do you have plans for your Winter / Summer garden ?

What frugal tasks did you complete this week ?

Our $100 A Month Grocery Budget - Part 2

 Last week I wrote about how we've been eating well for $100 a month since February 2020. Some months I can have $20 - $30 leftover.  This is always put into the grocery slush fund for when we do need it.

Here are the other tricks and tips I've been using to keep our food bill so low -

*  Dinner leftovers are portioned out and frozen that night.  Even the smallest amount is frozen and eaten at a later date either as a lunch ( rarely ) or extras like rice are added to make it a complete meal.

*  Adding extra vegetables to casseroles and stews gives us extra portions.

*  Baking cheaper treats like scones,  muffins and cakes.   Biscuits are still baked but I'm careful about the cost of the ingredients.

*  Sour cream,  cream and icecream are only purchased if we have a real need for them,  not a want.  Sour cream and cream does tend to be thrown out before we can safely use it all.

*  When I do buy meat it's usually beef mince,  chicken drumsticks,  fish portions ( not crumbed ),   beef sausages and tinned fish like tuna.

*  Writing out a menu plan for 4 - 6 weeks at a time and being careful to use up meals that have been frozen.

*  Only buying sauces / condiments we actually use. This means sticking to the basics like tomato,  bbq,  worchestershire,  soy,   mint.   Not that we bought too many that we didn't use up.  

A Summer garden haul

Adding vegetable to a pasta dish

Portioning leftovers for the freezer

Have you cut out unnecessary groceries on your shopping list ?

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 14th August 2021

We might be in lockdown here in Melbourne,  but I'm not sure where my week has gone.  We have lots of spare time on our hands even with the small amount of work we still have.  Maintaining a clean home,  putting food on the table each night and growing a garden are no small tasks.  Maybe I just feel like nothing big or remarkable has been achieved this week.

Still,  we a grateful and blessed for the life we lead and even more blessed to have a decent sized backyard to enjoy during these challenging times.

Here's what we got up to this week - 

*  Baked four loaves of wholemeal bread with extra goodness.  Used recycled bread bags to store the bread in the freezer.

*  Baked a batch of pumpkin scones using the pumpkin we were blessed with.  

*  Gratefully received 12 roti breads from a cleaning client who made them fresh while we were cleaning their home.  They have a roti bread machine on their kitchen bench and the husband sat there making them for us.

*  Gratefully received a container of pumpkin soup from Megan who dropped it off for us.  We'll be having it for lunch today with some of the roti breads.

*  Saved the washing machine water,  drink bottle water and shower warm up water to reuse around our home and garden.

*  Picked kale,  silverbeet,  lemons,  lettuce and spinach from our garden.

*  Darren mowed the lawn and gave some of the clippings to the chickens to enjoy.  The rest of the clippings went into the compost bin.

*  Baked ANZAC biscuits and choc chip biscuits using homemade dough from the freezer.

*  Froze leftovers of honey mustard chicken.

*  Turned electronic standby lights off and turned the doorbell off each night.

*  One of our chickens started laying eggs again.  The other chicken has been a freeloader for more than 3 years.

*  Pruned a wayward lavender plant and kept some of the flowers to put in a vase.

*  Dried the washing on the line when we had milder days.  The rest of the washing was dried on clothes horses over ducted heating vents.

Baking day

From our chicken

A blessing

Our roti bread blessing

From the garden

How have you saved time,  money and energy this week ?

Our $100 A Month Grocery Budget - Part 1

Due to the uncertain times we live in and irregular work hours over the last 18 months, we have been spending just $100 a month for food,  toiletries and cleaning products.  At times,  that money has stretched to feed up to 5 people depending on who's coming and going in our home at dinnertime.  The $100 includes food and supplies for our cat as well as three meals a day for Darren and I.

I will be the first to admit,  it's been a struggle at times.   We didn't go out and stockpile extra things just to reduce our spending down to $100 a month..  Thankfully we had a reasonable supply of basic pantry items, a good stockpile of meat and an excellent stockpile of toiletries and cleaning supplies.

Back in early 2020,  our budget was cut in all areas with food and gifts taking the biggest hit.  In saying that,  these two areas of our budget are easier to cut than other areas.  We can grow more food and I can make more presents.

To cut the food budget from $150 a month ( on average ) down to $100,  we had to make some hard choices about what is a necessary food item and what is a luxury.  It has been a bit of an adjustment and at times the fridge looks quite bare.  Through all of this,  there is always food on the table,  it's tasty and filling.

I thought I'd share with you how we've eaten on such a small budget and a few tricks I've learnt along the way.

*  Any food that goes into the fridge is carefully used within the right timeframe so it doesn't get thrown out.  With a slightly bare fridge,  it's easy to keep track of what we have.

*  When serving dinner,  our portions have been slightly smaller so we can freeze at least another two portions.  Some meals we've been able to freeze 3 - 4 portions.

*  Soup has featured in our menu plan for dinner at least once or twice a week when the weather has been cold.  Teamed up with leftover bread stick or a dinner roll from the freezer,  it makes a hearty meal that costs about 10 - 20 cents per serve.  Generally the soup is made from a chicken carcass which most people would throw out.  I also cooked up the last leg of lamb from the freezer and used the bone to make a delicious soup.

*  I have deliberately avoided my more expensive recipes especially the ones where you only get four serves and the meal costs $5 or more.  Meat pie,  rissole casserole,  salmon patties and chops have been a rare treat on the menu due to the high meat content and / or cost.

*  My shopping list is revised over and over again to eliminate any unnecessary purchases.  Groceries such as biscuits ( except for Christmas ),  dips,  chips,  chocolate, soft cheeses and roasts have not been purchased since we cut the budget. 

*  I've been adding TVP ( textured vegetable protein ) to beef mince to stretch it further.  I had my doubts about using TVP but in the right ratio we don't notice it at all.

*  Our vegetable garden has given us plenty of greens to add to the dinner plate all year round. Growing silverbeet and kale has been a big money saver.  I've been blanching and freezing excess broccoli and corn.  Even our potato haul earlier this year saved us more than $20.  I didn't buy potatoes for 5 months.

*  Any store bought snacks are only purchased as part of our present for birthdays,  Mother's / Father's Day and Christmas.

A simple Summer dinner

How do you stretch your meals ?

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 7th August 2021

 The last couple of weeks have been a time of rest and recuperation for both Darren and I   I was sick for a week with side effects from a vaccine and a cold that sent me to bed.  Darren came down with a bad cold about the same time.  I've been feeling well for three days now and Darren has almost recovered.

We were grateful for a well stocked freezer of home made meals to keep us going.  We are also grateful for a clean,  tidy and organised home that gave us the opportunity to just sit and recover.  No dirty washing or dishes piling up around us.

Although I've been absent for the last couple of weeks,  my frugal list is very short and sweet.  There were days when I couldn't do a single task around our home.

So here it is - our frugal list

*  We picked kale,  silverbeet and lettuce from our garden to go with a few of our meals

*  Pruned our Hebe bush and used the branches to brighten our home.

*  Made 2 kilos of brown sugar from scratch.

*  Made a quadruple batch of ANZAC biscuit dough.  Some was baked and the rest of the dough went into the freezer.

*  Made a big pot of spag bol sauce from 1 kilo of beef mince.  I added TVP to stretch the meat and added grated carrot and lots of silverbeet and kale.  From the pot of meat sauce I was able to get 21 single serves.  We ate it fresh that night and the rest went into the freezer.  Batch cooking at it's best.

*  Gratefully received 2 pumpkins.  Darren cut and cooked one of them.   The flesh was drained overnight and portioned into containers to freeze.  It will be used to make lots of pumpkin scones in the future.

*  Gratefully received some oranges and mandarins from Megan's trees.

*  Saved the washing machine rinse water for the next load of washing.

Making ANZAC biscuit dough

White sugar and molasses makes brown sugar

Fresh kale and silverbeet from the garden

What are you picking from the garden ?

How have you saved money this week ?

This Week's Frugal Tasks Saturday 24th July 2021

 Well,  we are in lockdown again in Melbourne but thankfully we are coping well.  I'm still allowed to work although Darren's hours have been cut.  Our well stocked fridge,  freezers and pantry are keeping us well fed.    Just as lockdown was being rumoured,  Darren ducked into the supermarket to buy a few treats to see us through.  

 I couldn't post anything here last week due to being super busy with work,  a catering job and a sewing job.  By the time the weekend came,  I needed to catch up on the housework,  then rest.

So this frugal list spans two weeks.

*  Darren picked broccoli,  spinach,  kale and lettuce from the garden to have with our meals.

*  I baked choc chip biscuits using dough from the freezer.  Our grandson Luka was over at the time ( before lockdown ) and helped squash the dough on the trays.  He also helped eat the dough too ( sneaky little boy ).

*  Used a $20 voucher from The Good Guys to buy another slow cooker.  The voucher arrived on my phone just hours before lockdown so I raced up to the shops to pick something out.  The slow cooker I bought ended up costing me just $19.95.  

*  Made a bottle of shower cleaner using kitchen detergent.  The ratio is one part detergent to one part water.

*  Hemmed some new curtains for a friend as a paying job.

*  I was in need of some new kitchen cannisters for my tea,  sugar and biscuits.  The ones I'd been using for at least 10 years had become loose around the lids and I needed air tight containers.  I had a few spare Moccona coffee jars on hand and was inspired by Mary from the White Cottage Company to paint them white. Once I painted the jars,  the utensil holder looked out of place so I painted that white as well.   I'm loving the new look and it only cost me about $13 for the can of spray paint.

*  Cooked 31 single serve meals for a friend's grandmother as a paying job and learnt a new soup recipe along the way.

*  Made a batch of pita chips using pita bread from the freezer.

*  Out of an urgent need,  Darren gave me a haircut.  My hair was getting too long and a bit dry on the ends so he cut a couple of inches off.

*  Fed the compost bin with kitchen scraps.  Darren says one bin is now ready to use in the garden.  Just waiting on good weather to empty the bin.

*  Extended the life of my eyeliner by pulling up the contents in the retractable part.  I'll now get another 8 weeks of use.

*  Made a surface spray cleaner for benches,  toilets and sinks etc by diluting kitchen detergent one part detergent to twenty parts cooled boiled water.

*  Made a slow cooker bread pudding using the  saved crusts from my homemade bread. 

*  Sold a set of men's greeting cards.

*  Baked four loaves of wholemeal bread with extra goodness.

Newly painted ' cannisters '

Newly painted utensil holder

Pita chips for snacks

Freshly baked bread.

Bulk cooking for an order

 

Father's Day is just around the corner.  If you are looking to buy a card to send to a loved one I have a few sets still available.  Each set of four cards comes with numbers that can be added to customise the cards for other occasions too.  

Here is one of the sets available for sale on my Facebook pages

 My Abundant Life Facebook

   How have you saved time,  money or energy this week ?    

Free Alternatives In The Garden

 Reusing,  recycling and upcycling is a wonderful way to save money and help reduce waste.  With more than half of Australians in lockdown right now and many more people around the world,  now is the time to use what you already have on hand at home.

Here are some great ideas for growing a garden without going out to buy things.

*  Dig up the ground you have to make a garden bed.  Raised garden beds are wonderful but not necessary for growing flowers and veggies.

*  Save your own seeds.  Have a look at the veggies you have in your fridge crisper.  Seeds can easily be saved from tomatoes,  cucumbers,  pumpkins and  zucchinis ( if large enough to have seeds ).  Even the wrinkly potatoes in the pantry can be planted if they have sprouted.  If you have flowers in the garden,  wait for them to form seed pods then save the seeds for next season.

*  Take cuttings from your plants,  shrubs and trees in the garden.

*  Cut up  icecream or yoghurt containers to make garden markers for your newly planted seeds and seedlings.

*  Use cut up  old socks to tie up wayward plants.

*  Use pruned,  straight branches as garden stakes for your plants.

*  Use your kitchen scraps to start a compost heap.  If you don't have room for a compost heap then dig the kitchen scraps straight into the garden.

*  Old buckets,  icecream containers, foam boxes,  heavy duty plastic bags / enviro shopping bags ,  milk crates ( lined ) and old plant pots make excellent little gardens.

*  Use toilet rolls to plant your seeds in.  When the seeds have grown tall enough,  plant the toilet roll with the plant to reduce transplant shock.

*  Grass clippings and weeds can be turned into fertiliser.  Place then in a bucket and cover with water.  Let it stand for a week or two and drain the liquid into another container.  Dilute it right down with water before using ( do a Google search for correct ratios ).

*  Need a mini greenhouse to start your seeds ?  Use the plastic cover from a  doona / sheet  set.

*  Poke holes in a water bottle lid to make a seedling watering can ( of sorts ).    

Recycled bricks for the path

Cutting up old socks

Bedding packaging greenhouse.

What items do you recycle for use in the garden ?